Hairline crack - an older build issue resurfacing?

[levi]

Would the expansion of the screw make it harder to remove? I would take a can of compressed air and hold the tube right on the screw and fire for about 10 seconds then try to remove immediately, hopefully it would have contracted a bit due to the cold and it might come out.

Possibly. It depends how it's stuck. I assume jammed screws are jammed because they've been screwed too far in, so the head is pulled tightly against the surface. Heat is likely to expand the metal of the screw more than the plastic of the case so in my mind at least it would cause the screw head to rise ever so slightly. But if warming it up doesn't work then by all means try cooling it down (or vice versa).

 

[Poem58]

Possibly. It depends how it's stuck. I assume jammed screws are jammed because they've been screwed too far in, so the head is pulled tightly against the surface. Heat is likely to expand the metal of the screw more than the plastic of the case so in my mind at least it would cause the screw head to rise ever so slightly. But if warming it up doesn't work then by all means try cooling it down (or vice versa).

I guess I was imagining the screw expanding outward making the grooves hold tighter to the plastic making it even harder to turn. Experimentation is the only way to find the best method for removal. All 3 suggestions so far COULD do it I suppose. Once you test one successfully, there is no need to try the others so the "best" method may never actually be discovered. As long as one works, that is all that matters. But hey it never hurts to think of all possibilities right?

 

[levi]

Yeah, absolutely. If it won't hurt it why not try it? Your suggestion for cooling it down was good as well - I'd advise against people putting it in a cold place (condensation) but localised cooling shouldn't hurt.

 

[Ratfink]

Bad idea alert! Don't cool plastic, then apply force to it while it's cool! Plastic tends to get brittle when cooled, so you might (gasp) break your Pandora's case more than it's broken already.

 

[WizardStan]

I just looked at the back of my Pandora and have almost the exact same hairline crack. I'd never have noticed if you hadn't reminded me of it. Thing is, first thing I did when I got mine was loosen the screw to try and prevent the cracking. I probably don't baby it as much as you guys, the bottom has a few little scratches on it, but I can't think of anything unusual that would have caused undue stress. I don't know what to believe anymore.


It is just a hairline crack though; like I said, I'd have never noticed if I wasn't looking for it, so maybe my loosening the screw helped a little.

 

[Prometheus]

I still haven't been able to loosen mine at all. :blink:

 

[Tickles]

I still haven't been able to loosen mine at all. :blink:

Maybe try an L shaped screwdriver. Then you can put a hollow tube or something over the handle so you can get some leverage. You follow?


Disclaimer: I take no responsibility etc. etc.

 

[jabz]

I still haven't been able to loosen mine at all. :blink:

Any updates to this? Haven't seen any official responses and 1000 cases have just been delivered. Is it just a build process improvement?

 

[gruso]

^ It's one of a few things that can be fixed fairly easily in the mould design, but if they ask the Chinese factory to do that, they'll be waiting another six months for it to happen. For now, I believe there are steps they can take in the build process to alleviate the problem.


The current arrangement with the case factory is to produce 10,000 cases AFAIK, and I don't think they plan to interrupt this with further mould changes.


Prometheus' issue with not being able to loosen that screw is certainly not the norm. She's on vacation right now so I don't know how she went with it.

 

[levi]

For now, I believe there are steps they can take in the build process to alleviate the problem.

Strip of sticky-backed plastic?

 

[Prometheus]

I'm back from my vacation, and was able to find a suitable screwdriver set whilst away. The offending screw has now been loosened.


If you're having the same issue I had, with being unable to loosen the screw, and have a screwdriver that looks and feels rather like the average mildly-chunky ballpoint pen, this will give the leverage needed to loosen it.

 

[Yamara]

I got my Pandora in late August, and it now has a crack wider than most of the normal seams, spanning between the USB port and the inset video/audio port. I've only plugged into the USB port maybe twice ever, never opened the case, and am very careful with my electronic devices. I haven't tried loosening the screw yet, but the crack seems wide enough that loosening it may have little effect. The plastic bridging between the crack and the normal seam hasn't fallen out yet, thankfully. It doesn't affect usability, at least.


However, I got mine relatively recently in their build process. Perhaps I got an enthusiastic screw-tightening builder...?


I will likely hold onto mine as is unless the crack gets worse, or the nubs start acting up again. I think something had been bound up in them before, and they've been good since whatever might have worked its way out.

 

[quartercast]

Oh shiet, my replacement Pandora's also developing a crack near its anüs.. oops I mean USB port

 

[denli]

Mine was delivered today, with a crack in the back


I asked if it is possible to get a new bottom delivered instead of replacing the whole unit.

 

[denli]

And I got a replacement bottom case

 

[doragasu]

I didn't read this thread before, but when upon reading it, I ran to my Pandora to check if it has the crack. Fortunately it hasn't it, so then I promptly drawed a screwdriver and loosed the screw a bit. I hope my unit doesn't show the crack... at least in a loooooong time!


Thanks for the info!

 

[Prometheus]

^ If you've loosened the offending screw a tad (if memory serves, it only needs to be about half a turn or less - just enough to take the pressure off of it), it is my understanding that you're unlikely to get the crack at all.

 

[Asmo]

If you've loosened the offending screw (...) you're unlikely to get the crack at all.

And you'll save yourself a lot of grief if you ever want to sell it on ebay. Listing a 'Pandora with Crack' will probably trigger every alert they've got.

 

[doragasu]

If you've loosened the offending screw (...) you're unlikely to get the crack at all.

And you'll save yourself a lot of grief if you ever want to sell it on ebay. Listing a 'Pandora with Crack' will probably trigger every alert they've got.

XD